MVA trumps Mahayuti in 4 out of 6 seats in Mumbai

The big issues in Mumbai included redevelopment of buildings, affordable housing, slum rehabilitation and improved healthcare

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won four of the six constituencies in Mumbai, with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) bagging three seats and the Congress securing one. Shiv Sena (UBT) won the Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, and Mumbai North East constituencies, while the Congress won Mumbai North Central. The remaining two constituencies went to the Mahayuti alliance, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the Mumbai North seat and Shiv Sena bagging Mumbai North West—by the narrowest of margins.

Arvind Sawant, Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Mallikarjun Kharge of the MVA. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Arvind Sawant from Shiv Sena (UBT) secured a hat-trick, winning the Mumbai South seat by 52,673 votes. He beat chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s candidate and Byculla MLA Yamini Jadhav. In what can be labelled an upset, former Rajya Sabha member and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide Anil Desai beat two-time sitting MP Rahul Shewale from the Shinde Sena by 53,384 votes. Desai was contesting the elections for the first time. The Mumbai North West constituency witnessed a nail-biting battle between the two Shiv Senas, including a recount. In the end, the Shinde Sena’s Ravindra Waikar beat Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar, son of sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar, by 48 votes.

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad defeated former special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, a BJP candidate, by a margin of 16,514 votes in the Mumbai North Central constituency. Union minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, defeated Congress candidate Bhushan Patil in the Mumbai North constituency by 3,57,608 votes.

The big issues that candidates in Mumbai across party lines contested over included redevelopment of buildings, affordable housing, slum rehabilitation, augmenting public infrastructure and public transportation, and improved healthcare, among others.